Peace Within
by Singer of Time
Summary: "It's too beautiful a night to worry about anything, anyway..." And he had to agree.  A small series of romantic one-shots.  Rated for a reason.
1. Peace Within

((AN: Yeah; I finally wrote my own take on a mature Kataang piece. I had originally felt like writing some passionate fluff, but, it kinda went further than that.

So, what the heck, I said; I decided to try and prove to myself that I can write a peaceful, romantic piece, plot-oriented and tasteful (I don't even really call it a lemon in good conscience, or smut, because I pretty much managed to avoid using any crude and descriptive vocabulary. It's how -I- write making love, if I ever include it in any story). Kataang deserves a much better treatment than smut, really.

Besides, my muse wouldn't let me write anything until I got this thing finished. xP So there ya go.

For people who find this, and haven't read through To Muse on Parenthood (yes, I seem to prefer sticking my Avatar stories in the same continuity in my head), Aang and Katara -are- older, and they -are- married...in fact, he'd be 19 here, and thus she'd be 21. Heck, maybe this is how Tenzin is conceived. :B

Also, this is the first and most likely -only- mature piece I'd ever write for anything ever, so if anyone asks me to write more, I'll know who doesn't read the Author's Notes. :3 But please do forgive me if something seems amiss. x3 Like I said, first lemon-scented piece. Plus, though I've never been flamed for a story, I have heard it happens...so thus, as I say to any troll, if you don't like the material, don't say anything. After all, you've been warned here and in the intro. x3

Enjoy! And may the divine Mike and Bryan forgive me for this atrocity on their characters.

-Kersnap!- ALRIGHT, onto trying to update my other pieces!

...You know you write too much Avatar when your muse learns how to Water-Whip...))

* * *

><p>It was perfectly warm in their bedroom. Warm and dark, nestling them together in their little niche made of quilt, blanket, and sheet.<p>

But the Avatar—even with his wife lying pressed against his side, her head on his chest and wrapped with one of his arms—couldn't sleep. Peace and quiet was all around, enveloping him in all of the most pleasant things his senses found offered to them. Her sweet scent trickled in his nose, her warmth comforted him to his core, her quiet and even breaths soothed his ears, and her slumbering form was such a heavenly sight…

But he was still awake, nonetheless, kept from lulling away to sleep by the troubled turns of his mind alone.

Aang kept his stare to the stone ceiling above, while taking a long, slow breath and continually running his fingers with feathery softness up and down Katara's upper arm. The Air Nomad kept stewing in his mind over and over the things that plagued him recently…duties that he had been asked to oversee the next day that went against some of his own ideals.

It wasn't too long ago; a powerful terrorist from the Fire Nation had been captured, after many months of hiding out while his aides performed the most unspeakable of crimes on the innocents of the Earth Kingdom and in the re-formed villages for returning colonials. Torture, murder, kidnapping, burnings…all of it done in the name of the former government. It wasn't the first time a rebellion had been stopped…but this was the first time that one had gone on for several months without a lead, causing severe unrest from the people…until finally, to the great elation of the innocent villagers abound, the menace had been found and captured. He was thought to be an old high-ranking advisor to Ozai, and at that, a smart and ruthless Firebender.

Many thought that imprisonment was too soft for such a tyrant, or that he would be too clever to be contained. Most wanted him dead; others, punished slowly and painfully. Both Nations had their own brand of retribution for criminals against their citizens, but couldn't decide by which to abide. They'd needed a great, influential judgment from outside. That's where the Avatar came in.

Another shudder crawled through Aang's body, and he'd hoped that it wouldn't awaken his beloved. He was angry and repulsed, but at the same time, he _knew_ this was what his title entailed. He was supposed to be a peacekeeper…someone to indeed come to when such decisions couldn't belong to just one of the world's leaders.

_But does that make me a divine judge? They all KNOW how I stand. How can they expect me to decide how they sentence a man to suffering, even if he may deserve it?_

He sighed once more and ceased his gentle ministrations upon Katara's arm, lowering his hand lazily over her side. _I definitely won't be able to sleep. I have to go think for a bit, _he decided, though not without some reluctance.

With a slight shift, carefully so that he wouldn't awaken the deeply-slumbering Waterbender, Aang pulled away and stood up from the bed, smoothing the sheets back over her body. She stirred, but only nestled back into the pillows with a sleepy hum.

_Don't worry, my love,_ he smiled warmly to the peaceful visage of his wife as his fingers trailed the ends of her long brown hair, _I won't be gone long._

With steps so light and quiet that only an Airbender could have made them, he pulled a nearby robe over himself and snuck out the door. His steps grew heavy again when he descended the spiraling stairway and adjoining halls, down to the main living sections that made up just a portion of the massively-refurbished Southern Air Temple; redecorated and so beautifully mirroring the former glory of his people, his true home just for himself and his family.

He shivered when he stepped outside into the front garden, the ground crunching at each track made…it was winter, and there was a nice, deep coating of snow upon every surface he could spot. It brought back memories of winters at the Temples long ago, where he and his young friends would run and play with reckless abandon, tossing snowballs at one another or stuffing the ice down an unfortunate friend's shirt.

It had stopped snowing ages ago, but the brisk, cold night and the crisp mountain air kept the snow fresh and sticking to everything in a beautiful, glistening sheen. Aang only felt the cold for a brief moment; as an Airbender, he could subconsciously keep the air around him warm or cool enough to suit himself. As a Firebender besides, one quick exhalation of the Breath of Fire technique kept his inner body toasted for long periods. And as a Waterbender, he relished the feeling of the winter season; Water's power was the strongest here. No doubt, Katara loved it, too.

The sky was clear and cloudless that night, and the moon very nearly full. The snow all around him that was bathed in its heatless luminescence took on a gem-like sparkle; it made one want to reach out and touch the frozen crystals with their bare hands. And thus he did, idly letting the crisp, cold snow drop through his fingers as he cleared a spot for himself to lean on the marble rail.

He turned his eyes upward to the stars and just stared for a long while, losing himself to the sight of the eternal cosmos. The moon was in his line of sight soon enough, and his gaze held to the great off-white orb; a heavenly entity, doing its silent duty to balance itself with the tides and the earthen energies below.

_Well, Yue…what would YOU have had to say to this? _He silently inquired of the moon, and the spirit associated with it…that of an old friend. _Would you have let someone suffer for their deeds, or ended their life?_ He closed his eyes and smiled to himself. _Well, you're a spirit now. Spirits probably have their own way that doesn't include meddling in OUR affairs._

_ I know what the other Avatars would say though. Be decisive…be active…do what is right for the world…justice for peace._

He snorted. _I could Energybend, but…it's a dangerous thing to resort to. Who knows how hard it would be. I still think I was somewhat lucky with Ozai._

_ I just don't know._

Aang let out another long, meditative sigh, a shudder exiting his body as a result. Whether it was from the cold or releasing his own tension…or a bit of both…he didn't know. But he didn't have too much time to ponder that before another distraction caught his attention.

He had felt someone approaching through his Earthbending senses…and had heard them as their feet too crunched a pattern in the snow, slowly, as if uncertain that their presence wouldn't have been welcomed at that particular moment.

Another long breath of cold, bracing air was drawn into his lungs, and his lips curled into a small smile. _Katara. I thought so._

In one of his unique ways for acknowledging her presence, he raised his left hand in a fluid, swift Waterbending motion to lightly fling some of the snow from the railing beside him. He patted and smoothed the surface invitingly. Judging by her slightly quickening footsteps, she'd seen the gesture and had taken him up on his offer to join him in silence. He felt, rather than saw, her sidle up to his side.

When her hand, warm and soft, found his own and gave it a light squeeze, he turned to look upon her concerned features. Her bright eyes gazed up into his, filled with questions, while a warm-hearted smile graced her lips.

"It's freezing," she said. "Why'd you choose _here _to sit and think?"

He grinned back, returning the squeeze on her fingers. "I don't get cold that easily, you know." A quirk of the eyebrow. "And I could ask the same of you…you'd be warmer inside, in bed."

"You're talking to someone who began life at the _South Pole,_" she lightly quipped. "This place in winter is a little like summer there. Anyway," the Waterbender hummed, her gaze dropping. "I'm warmest wherever _you_ are."

He turned his head and closed his eyes, keeping that wide smile on his features. His cheeks brightened in a scarlet hue in the adorable way she so remembered.

She let go of his hand, letting her fingers slide over his skin. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you though. Just, considering things lately, you had me worried. I'll go back inside if you want me to."

He let out a light snort, his breath coming out in little clouds of moisture in the cold air as he spoke. "I rarely spurn your company, Katara." His fingers came up to brush her cheek tenderly. "You know that."

It was her turn to blush, the hue a rosy pink on her darker skin tone. "I still like to be sure."

Reassuringly, her husband kissed her forehead. "Well, I'll make sure you're sure, then."

She chirped a laugh, leaning her own weight upon the rail. Their shoulders leaned together, each lending support to the other, as her eyes returned with his up to the stars. So bright and dazzling, lending an air of infinite space and faraway presences to the empty solitude of the icy earth around them.

When Katara caught sight of the moon, so nearly full, she could feel her blood responding to the tidal pull. As a Waterbender, she wasn't at all immune to its energy.

"Seeking council from Yue?" she murmured.

Aang chuckled. "In a way." His smile fell, and so did his eyes. He knew she was waiting for him to tell her what was wrong, though patiently so. "There are times I really don't like being the Avatar," he murmured.

His wife paused, and then nodded her understanding. "You're still wondering about what to do tomorrow."

His eyes met hers. "What would _you_ do?"

Caught slightly off-guard, she averted her gaze. "You know exactly what I think of men like him. I feel the same way as most of those people." She raised her hand in a fluid, pulling motion, bringing some of the snow into the air with it. "If it had been me…_my_ family that was being threatened…"

Her voice took on a quiet, venomous quality. In demonstration of her opinion, the snow near her fingers froze into solid ice and could be heard crackling as her hand flexed. The sounds caused her to stop and breathe, and the ice melted into water as she relaxed…the droplets would soon become icicles in the cold air when they landed.

"…Like I said, you _know_ what I'd do," she whispered. "But…I know that it doesn't help you any. You're better than that."

His arm went around her shoulders, pulling her into an ardent embrace. "I hope you aren't implying that I'm better than _you._"

She didn't have an answer; she could only squeeze him back and cup his cheek in her hand. "I just don't want this to worry you all night, Aang. You know you won't be alone. I'll be going too. And I'll stand by whatever decision you make."

"I don't even want to make such a decision," he sighed. "Even with all the power I have, I still don't feel that I have the right to play the divine judge, or…executioner…to any person's life."

In exasperation, he let his closed fist fall hard onto the aged stone, his voice rising to a growl. "Seems the only option I'd take is to remove his Firebending, but that's a little dangerous."

"You can do it," she assured, still holding him in comfort. "You've had to do it with Ozai. Surely this monster's energy can't be worse."

"…Maybe," Aang finally assented. "And if it works, it'll be a better fate than death or torture."

Katara nodded. "I think so."

With that, the words between them fell again into quiet. Their eyes returned together to the night sky, neither of the benders mindful of the freezing air. The moon and the stars seemed to observe them both right back, saying nothing of this exchange.

"It's too beautiful a night to worry about anything, anyway," he heard his wife murmur.

And he had to agree. Despite his turbulent thoughts, the entire environment seemed to be doing its best to soothe him. But he also attributed that best to Katara, whose presence never failed to do that. It would be something that he'd always thank fate for having…and to her, be forever grateful.

He turned his head to look at her as she watched the sky. He couldn't keep his eyes off of hers right then…the moon was reflected in her deep blue irises, the stars mirrored in the blacks of her pupils.

She noticed him staring after a moment, and turned to look back. His stormy eyes, half-lidded, had such depth to them. They bore his very soul; warm, gentle, loving, with such wisdom and power hidden deeper still. She felt entranced, and couldn't even bring herself to ask why he stared so, with that inviting smile on his face.

They drew closer to one another, slowly, her arms snaking around him and palms resting up on his back. One of his own arms drew her ever closer, ever tighter, while the fingers of his free hand combed admiringly through her hair and trickled over her cheek and chin. Their noses touched, their breath on each other's faces a warm, stark contrast to the cold. When her lips brushed his, he responded with a slow, tender kiss.

Having shared too many kisses with Aang to count, Katara knew the mood of all of them. This one, and each one after going at the same lingering pace, was much like many they'd shared in the years of their youth before they were married. As his lips moved over hers, caressing with no frantic intent, he was professing his respect…his adoration…his love, all to her, reminding her of his profound appreciation for her. Only when she returned it all with a passionate push, a quiet moan of "Aang…" released from her throat, did he deepen and lengthen those kisses with a sensual and wanting intent…actions that made her blood rush, her fingers scrunch on the back of his robe, and him to press a little deeper with a groan that tickled her tongue.

When he pulled away slowly, the separation causing them both to take in a quick breath, they kept up that silent half-lidded stare. Katara smiled, feeling that her face was suddenly _too_ warm even then. "And what was _that_ for?" she asked with a purr to the edge of her voice.

"Just because," he answered, in the deeper tone that was reserved only for her.

She couldn't help but laugh and shake her head, simply leaning into his arms. For the millionth time she wondered how he did that…how he left her so light-headed and free of restraint with every passionate moment. And with him, as his cheek nestled affectionately into her hair, he embraced the familiarity of being grounded with her care and love as his anchors and his armor.

He released a long breath and met her eyes again with a smile. "Let's go back inside and warm up, shall we?"

She chuckled, her fingers affectionately trickling down his face. "Can't take the cold much longer?"

"I can," he matter-of-factly shrugged with a smirk. "But I dunno about _you."_

"Psh," she scoffed, "Normally I'd show you what-for and stay out here all night."

"But?"

"But frankly, I've had enough of arguing for one day. Aaand…you're being too irresistible to not follow inside," the Waterbender smiled enticingly.

With a soft laugh of his own, he took her hand, leading her back to the residential hall. "C'mon."

* * *

><p>Although neither of them felt like going back to sleep just yet, they also found themselves a little too lethargic to want to trudge back up the spiraling staircase to their tower bedroom. So instead, they'd made a little nest of cushions and blankets in one of the living commons in front of the fireplace to relax and rid themselves of the chill.<p>

As Aang used a blast of fire from his hand to light the hearth, filling the dark room with a warm, flickering orange glow, Katara set the last blanket down and stood facing the adjoining dining room. "I'll go get us some tea," she started. "Which kind do—HA-CHOO!"

At the sudden sneeze, the nomad blinked and looked up from his position on the floor. "Are you alright?"

"It's just a sneeze," Katara waved off. "I'm fine, lemme g…H'CHOO!" again, she forcefully exhaled, accompanied by a quick sniff.

The Airbender was on his feet in an instant, taking her gently by the shoulders. "Oh, no you don't," he chided, leading her back to the pillows. "_You_ stay here and get into a blanket, and _I'll_ get the tea. If you're getting a cold, best to catch it at the roots."

Katara snorted. "I hardly think I'm getting a cold; we haven't been out there even an hour."

"I'd rather not take that chance if it's all the same to you," he argued softly, giving her his warm smile as he wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. "Just stay. I'll be right back."

Unable to argue, Katara did as told and watched him speed off to the dining room. She smiled ironically to herself. As his wife, she was still treated as his equal in all things; but sometimes it was also nice to hold him higher. The only man that she'd let her guard—and stubborn self-sufficient walls around her heart—down for.

_So long as it's Aang that can protect and care for me,_ she sighed, _I can just let go._

Her husband returned not a few moments later with two hot cups of tea. "Hope you like it," he smiled and sat beside her as he handed one of the cups over.

"I always do," she chuckled, accepting the drink with a grateful hum as she sipped. "Mmm…Lychee."

The Airbender took a sip from his own cup. "Glad to know; I'm no Iroh, but, I still try."

"Oh, don't worry," she laughed. "I doubt _anyone_ could be Iroh when it comes to tea."

"Got that right."

For those moments, they sat against each other in front of the hearth. Their fatigued eyes stared off into the space of the fire, nearly hypnotized by the flickering of the flames and the warmth it emanated for them. Combined with the tea, they felt the chill from outside slipping out of their bodies; and Katara was certain she wasn't catching a cold after all, but she nestled closer against Aang all the same. When their cups were empty, she draped the other side of the blanket around him, and in return he wrapped an arm about her shoulders.

She hummed with comfort, her head resting on his, her soft breaths trickling on the crook of his neck. His fingers slowly intertwined with hers, and every long inhalation from him brought the lulling scent of her hair to his nose. In the wake of Aang's often-busy days as the Avatar, and her own tedious duties as a Water Tribe ambassador and Master, simple times like these were appreciated; where they could just hold one another and bathe in the comforting essences around them.

"Know what I wish?" Aang whispered. At Katara's questioning stir, he sighed. "I wish that I never have to make a decision again like I have to make tomorrow. I would like to help the world go on the right path to solve their own problems, so I could have time to _really_ make some good changes. And to just live more like a normal guy."

She snickered, a tickling of breath against his skin. "Yeah; your normal last Air Nomad living in a normal _huge_ temple with his normal Waterbending wife…"

"Oh, you know what I mean," he snorted with a wry smile. "But yeah, exactly. Be a normal family man too, with kids running around the huge temple."

At that, Katara snuggled closer with a blush on her features. It always warmed her heart that even though he was so patient with his harrowing life, he still showed that he wanted children just as much as she did.

"Well," she breathed, her lips against the skin of his neck, "All good things come in time. _You're_ the one who taught me that. You just wait…it will all turn out for the better. I know it."

His next breath was a shaky one, through the shudders her kisses on his throat caused. "Ever the optimist," he smiled, caressing her hand. "But I trust you."

"Good," she said, pulling away a little to look into his eyes. "Now…will you stop worrying?"

"Aw…I _guess_ I can, until morning," he chuckled back. "After all, you're right…it's too beautiful a night." His hand reached up to her cheek and caressed to under her chin. His voice grew low again; entrancing, soft, holding her captive as much as she was doing to him. "Katara…I love you."

Her breath stilled. "I love you too. So much, Aang…"

His kiss silenced her.

It was as if they were finishing what they'd started outside. The instant their lips met, all of the breath had left their bodies and all other thoughts were banished. She could feel their hearts racing in tandem; her own blood rushing to appropriate spots on the body, and no doubt his was doing the same. His kiss was thorough and slow, taking in all of her, and she responded with like enthusiasm. She hummed into his mouth, and his grasp became tighter on her.

Eventually, Katara felt herself lowered onto the pillows. She gasped when Aang pulled his lips from hers and placed affectionate kisses on her cheek, following a trail to her ear and falling to her throat. Playfully, he blew cool air on those damp spots, and she squirmed with a muted laugh.

He looked into her eyes again, hovering so closely above her, exchanging breaths and searching her mood through their shared gaze.

When she spoke, her voice was heavy. "Do you want to go up to the bedroom…?"

There was a pause as he seemed to think that over. The fire still flickered on beside them and gave the room a steady, comfortable hue as well as an atmosphere of silent crackling.

Briefly, he rose up on his knees and undid the knot in his sash, allowing his robe to fall open. "I think we're fine right here," he murmured with _such_ a grin, it filled her stomach with butterflies.

If the Waterbender had even _wanted_ to argue, she wouldn't have found time for it anyway. He had lowered himself back down, taking her in those kisses that always left them both light-headed and thinking of nothing else. As her exploring hands pushed the robe down his shoulders and off to the floor beside them, his had pulled her own warm sleeping robe open. His fingers sensuously caressed the sensitive skin of her stomach and sides, and the garment was drawn slowly off of her shoulders and arms to be left forgotten beneath her.

One by one, each remaining article of clothing slid off of their bodies; his skilled fingers undid the ties of her bindings easily, and her feet and legs helped to shimmy his pants down. They took their time, pressing upon and caressing every bit of skin revealed and admiring every part of one another, only for them alone. And it only served to be more stimulating on the cushioned floor of the living room in front of the fireplace instead of the familiar comfort of the bed, although the entirety of the temple was empty otherwise; so their actions went ecstatically undisturbed.

They broke their kisses long enough to catch each other's eyes again. The glow from the fire bathed their naked skin, giving a shimmering hue to his milky pale form along the edges of his tattoos, and her own rich olive complexion. Their breathing grew deeper, with waves of chills crashing through both with each touch. Her arms slid around his torso and pulled him flush against her, chest to chest.

His cheek pressed to hers, and he felt her shiver. "Are you okay?" he whispered.

"Yes," she breathed back, voice barely heard; it was weighed down with love and need for him. Her calf slid over the back of his leg and her movements led him between her knees. She inhaled sharply and ran her teeth over her lip when his heavily-stiff warmth touched up against her depths. "Aang…" she groaned.

He complied with a shaky breath of anticipation, pulling the blanket over them both. As his lips kissed and suckled ever so gently on her neck, one hand sliding under her head and the other pressing her own hand to the floor, fingers entwining, he lowered himself and pushed forth within her.

The fingers of their joined hands scrunched up, and quivered with their entire bodies. Their eyes shut tight, and their breathing came in and out harshly, in barely contained sighs of bliss. There were times that they didn't care how vocal they became in the throes of passion; but tonight, somehow, they felt like keeping it still and quiet, peaceful and beautiful, like the air around them and the utter silence outside.

Her chest heaved against his with every heavy breath as he held her still, mindful of his weight but still pressing close. Covered by him and cocooned by the blanket, feeling him going as deeply as he could, Katara's every sense was of him…nothing _but_ him.

Aang didn't bother to rush himself. The movement of his body: push…and pull...and push again…forth and back…all of it was slow and delicate. Their bodies continuously rocked against the pillows as gently as if they were floating on the churning waves of the sea. Were it not for the fervently _wonderful_ lashes of pleasure shooting through them both as a result of their very joining, they would have perhaps been peacefully lulled asleep together. Katara caught on easily that he'd wanted his lovemaking, the pleasure they were giving each other, to linger on long into the night.

As it did, their voices came out as slow, long sighs in each other's ears…sometimes she'd utter a breathy whimper, or he a soft, low moan…she'd murmur his name to coax him into moving faster, yet he'd still maintain all control and hum her name in return, to will her to relax, and kiss her tenderly…she returned each kiss, happily acquiescing. It couldn't end yet, not so soon…

It was a rhythmic pattern they kept, slow and steady against the pillows as his kisses ventured from her lips to her jaw and ear. His lips ghosted over her face, his nose rubbed against hers, and they opened their eyes to the other's half-lidded, love-drenched stare drawing them in further, deeper, higher, closer; in brief snatches of her occupied mind, Katara wondered if Aang had much more patience left in him not to rush to the end. Listening to his shallow breaths and primal groans, it seemed so.

The moment she'd thought that, he'd broken his gaze and continued to treat her with wandering kisses, only adding to the cascading shivers racing down her spine. At one point his hand detached from hers, and then trailed down her arm, over her shoulder, to tenderly cup her breast and run his thumb (moistened by his tongue) over the sensitive mark. He felt her shiver, a moan forced from her throat as her limbs coiled around him. She'd leaned up to lay little nips on his throat, intending to give as much attention to _him._ He exhaled forcefully at her quickened movements and reached out again to pin her wrist to the blanket.

"Relax, Katara…relax," he soothed, the words coming with cool streams of breath on her throat…and not once had he stopped his movements between her thighs. "This is…all for you."

_There he goes again…giving me so much…_to Katara, she probably would always be amazed at how much he exhausted himself for her sake…to show her in all ways how deeply his love went.

"But…Aang…" she exhaled; she didn't wish to leave him out, and it was all she could to show him that.

"Shh…" he tenderly cooed, kissing her fully on the lips. "I want this…to last. It's enough…for me to…hear you, and feel you." As if to drive his point home, he deepened the kiss and coaxed a passionate hum from her throat.

Her arms relaxed from around him to lie next to her head, and his fingers once again laced between hers. His other arm was wrapped under her back, keeping as much of her as close to him as possible. And this way, in her mind she just laid the last of her concerns to the side and slipped away…free and unrestrained in sheer bliss, with him to carry her. And Aang too was lost to her; the passion he bestowed came straight from his heart, and he wanted her to have every bit of him; for she deserved it every time she saved him from his fears and concerns as she had done earlier that night.

The time moved on as slowly as they did…it seemed like an eternity later that they finally felt the pleasure culminating, that glorious peak of feelings approaching…too slowly, ever too slowly.

Katara knew she wouldn't last. Her breaths grew faster…her voice grew louder…

And when she held him tight and pleadingly bucked her hips against him, Aang had lost all resolve as well. He clutched her and escalated his pace.

In no time at all, his spine had arched, his head rising up to groan her name to the high, shadowed ceiling. _"K-Katara…"_

_"Aang…!"_

When the surge of warmth was felt within her, the Waterbender clutched hard onto him and answered his provocative call in a heaving breath. Her body reached against his as close as she could possibly get, eyes squinted shut in a pure explosion of pleasurable fire within…as were his.

A combined shudder passed through the both of them as they held themselves firm until the fires died to a mere trickle in their blood. She sagged back against the pillows and took him with her, his slackened weight upon her coming with very little discomfort thanks to the support of the cushions.

For a long time, they laid there and simply breathed. The fire still crackled on beside them, and all was still…as if in the calm after a storm.

Through closed eyes, she felt him shifting to the side; but the way they embraced, not even exhaustion could pry them away from their other half. They lay on their sides, foreheads touching, peering into eyes that held within more passion than words could express.

Affectionately, her fingers followed the line of his arrow from the forehead to the neck. "I love you," she finally breathed, breaking the ethereal silence.

"I love you more," he answered with an entrancing smile as he gingerly moved a few stray strands of hair from her face and kissed the corner of her lip. "And…thank you, again, for distracting me," he chuckled wearily.

Katara chirped a short laugh. "And here I thought _you_ were the one that led _me_ here. Still," she murmured as the sincerity returned to her voice, "You never have to thank me. Like I've reminded you before, and like I'll be reminding you again, you _never_ have to face _any _decision alone."

"And for that," Aang smiled as he kissed the inside of her palm, "I'll thank you forever anyway. Though, I still wouldn't mind sleeping in tomorrow and just missing this unfortunate mess."

Her eyes rolled sleepily and she let herself comfortably lay upon his chest. "You'll take care of this," she insisted, "And hopefully it will serve to make an example to the world that it _must_ stay peaceful."

"And then…we can worry about our own future," he slurred tiredly and tucked them both into the blanket, intending for the two of them to fall asleep right then and there.

And so they did, letting the fire eventually die down in the hearth and the darkness of their dreams lead them on into better times. Their duties would still lurk in the back of their minds and keep them worrying for the life that they'd wished for.

But that night…and every other that allowed them to hold each other…took away from any sense of uncertainty and urgency. He was her hope, she his life.

And to each other, the future.


	2. The Morning

((AN: There's nothing quite like writing a one-shot that's like a well-prepared sandwich. You got the characters that are the meat of it, the emotions, humor, fluff and passion, and it's all held together with a good bread-plot...actually, maybe it's more like a well-prepared salad, with the bowl as the plot. :p But in any case, that's how I write a mature story, and I swear before you all now that I shall never, ever forget the plot of one, nor shall I admit crude vocabulary into it. x3 Best it be better than that, don't you think? Ignore the silly metaphoring, I'm submitting this at 2 AM. xP

Anyway, yep, I decided to write another one of these. Due to amazingly good feedback from everyone for my previous story, and a newfound pride for being able to write a pseudo-lemon that focuses on true love in moments of ecstasy, I thought hey, maybe once in a blue moon I'll give 'em out. See if they're just as enjoyed as the first try. :3 But be warned that if I manage to invite comments from creeps/flamers because of the content, they'll be promptly reported. x3

That said. This idea came to me quite a while ago. There are a few wedding-night scenarios out there, but what about waking-up-after-the-first-time scenarios? Thinking of these two, it oughta be quite sweet, if a little awkward. x3 This also takes place in the same continuity as Chapter 6 of To Muse On Parenthood, sort of a continuation you might say, but I tried to make it so that you don't need to read that one first to get this one. There's a little reference to The Comet's Wake as well.

Without much further stalling, enjoy the Kataangy love-fest and a little banter in the middle with a few other characters. Yes, I'm sorry, the very old but well-referenced Jackie Gleason comedy line just kinda wrote itself outta Toph before I could think twice. :B "One a' these days..."

May Mike and Bryan look upon this humble fanfic writer with mercy for doing this with their creations.))

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><p><span>The Morning<span>

Aang awoke slowly to the warmth of the sun on his face. He had barely registered the fact yet that the light of mid-morning was coming through the window to touch the darkness of his eyelids; he was only just crawling out of the last remnants of his dreams.

The sixteen-year-old Avatar blinked a few times to bring the room into focus and released a rather wide yawn, shifting a little in the blanket draped low over his waist. He let out a quiet sigh and dared to close his eyes again to see if there was any remaining traces of winks left to catch; he couldn't remember the last time he'd woken up a little later than usual, and by no accord but his own. He only figured it was time to get up when his eyes popped open halfway automatically again.

The chamber in which he had slept was familiar enough when he propped up on his arm to look around. It was the room that occupied one of the highest spots in the Southern Air Temple tower; which he and Katara had chosen and remade for their own master bedroom not a few days ago. There was a lingering smell of scented ash in the air from when the candles, set in stands high on opposite ends of the walls, had burned out during the night. The wide bed was situated underneath a windowsill with curtains that gently billowed with a warm breeze through the slightly-open glass panes. Except for the low whistling through those panes, it was comfortably silent all around.

A smile crept to the Airbender's face when he thought of Katara; as it had always done on reflex since the day they first met. The Waterbender he loved, and had asked to be his wife…

_…She IS my wife now,_ he remembered with a quick exhalation and shook his drowsy head to make the memories from yesterday return faster. He smiled and closed his eyes again, reliving it all as his heart took a few extra leaps for joy. The wedding was absolutely perfect…he was so nervous (Katara more than likely just as much), but it had gone amazingly well in the end. The party was great fun, even _if_ a few of their friends had taken the liberty to test their limits with the drinks.

And then the remaining night hours when the two of them retreated to their bed…

Aang gasped quietly and blushed, darting his eyes down to notice his current state; completely naked, beneath the _very_ rumpled sheets of the otherwise elegant bedspread, with their wedding clothes strewn in various places. Even though nobody was there to see, he pulled the sheets back up a little over himself, trying to suppress a nervous grin. _I wonder if the self-consciousness goes away later, _he thought as images from the night before danced across his memory and—in a rather good way—made him squirm.

It was then, turning over, that he chanced a glance to the space next to him. The sight he beheld brought a boiling warmth to his face.

The subject of his memories and his dreams lay still fast asleep, turned away from him. The blankets were pooled around the gentle curve of her hip, the rest of her olive skin covered by nothing more than the tussled waves of her hair. Her quiet breathing, undisturbed, gave a slow rise and fall to her sun-kissed body.

Even though Aang had innocently shared beds with the Waterbender before, looking at her in that morning felt entirely new to him. She was so peaceful…there was a look to her that he could not describe. It was something like an otherworldly elegance, felt somewhere in her sleep-tangled features. Katara, his savior, friend, beloved...she looked entirely too wonderful to be real; and yet there she was, lying next to him in their wedding bed.

His face softened into a loving smile, though his shy blush hadn't disappeared; he figured it wouldn't for a good long while. He scooted close and carefully laid beside her again, reaching up for a tentative brush of his fingers against the skin of her shoulder. He kept his gentle touch over her unclothed form reverent and chaste, admiring her, and bathing in the feeling that seeing her like that brought to him.

_I can't believe this,_ he thought as he carefully brushed the strands of hair away from her sleeping face. _We're married. I'll be with her forever._

The memories of last night flashed through him again. He could practically hear the sounds of ecstasy in their voices—in hers—their limbs entangled around each other, bodies pressed tight, the way she clutched him with all of her strength, the way he cried out that he loved her, again and again and again…

_She's all mine for real now;_ he sighed, slowing his touch to a warm caress of his palm over her arm. _And I'm all hers. I never imagined it would FEEL like that._

_I can't believe it; I just can't believe it. But, I can, I must. This is real. She is real. She's declared to me and me to her._

Even her very presence while asleep made him feel like he was being drawn closer; and he wasn't about to fight that pull. He leaned over her and lay soft, slow kisses on her shoulder, closing his eyes and just losing himself in the feel of her warmth and the scents, some familiar and some not, surrounding them both.

When Katara finally began to stir as well, she barely stiffened at feeling those affectionate touches and caresses of her soul mate; she was used to it, after all, but had yet to even grow tired of it.

"Mmh…Aang…?" she murmured. Her eyes still closed, she felt as his kisses drifted up to her face and his arm wound warmly around her. She smiled slowly, wondering if she was dreaming.

His cheek nuzzled affectionately in her hair, and he spoke drowsily next to her ear. "Good morning, my wife."

At that, her eyes blinked open to face the almost-blinding light of day streaming onto her side of the bed. She noticed her surroundings—and her own state of undress—a little faster than Aang had upon waking, and shyly reached down to draw the sheets up over herself.

His head tilted in concern, but his smile was an understanding one. No matter how passionate the night before had been, how ready they both were, the morning after seemed to leave them speechless at the very idea. They had given themselves to each other for the first time, all but cementing their marriage and their love.

The way he caressed her face was comforting, though, and Katara was reminded of how tender and caring he was. With a tired grunt, still holding the sheet up around her, she turned around so that she was facing him. The Water Tribe woman was instantly calmed by the shy dart of his wide eyes back and forth from hers, and the way his cheeks were completely flushed red.

She reached up to cup his face and hummed a laugh quietly. "You know…_someday_ I'll get used to being called your wife."

He smiled back and reached behind Katara to stroke her hair, leaning in for a kiss to her forehead. "And I'll get used to being called your husband. Doesn't mean I'll stop loving it."

"My husband…" she echoed quietly with a short yawn and lowered her head to his shoulder. She inhaled his scent, slightly musky but still Aang all the same. "Wow," she murmured. "This is real."

"I've been convincing myself of that all morning too," he chuckled, pulling her a little closer and holding her gently, as if this precious woman would break if he didn't. "I love you so much."

"I love _you_ so much," she replied, still keeping her eyes hidden. Shy though she was in front of him right then, seeing him in such a different light knowing so intimately that he was hers forever, Aang was still her greatest source of comfort. She'd wanted nothing more in that drowsy morning to lay in bed with him in complete silence, musing over the start of their new lives, and he felt the very same.

He kept up his affectionate combing through her hair with his fingertips, kissing her temples every so often while he listened to her hitched breathing and felt her palm tracing up and down his upper arm. She could hear and feel his heart drumming a steady beat where her other hand lay against his chest. They needed no words, no awkward talk between them; they just needed each other and the quiet peace.

After a few moments, he looked into her eyes again with that eternal bright smile. "You want something to eat? I could probably get up and fix some fruit juice with breakfast, or tea…"

She hummed and started to sit up, still clutching the blanket over her torso. "Breakfast sounds amazing, actually. I could probably make some—ooh," she suddenly hissed, laying herself back down again.

Aang's eyes widened. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she grunted, turning herself comfortably to lie on her side while biting her lip. "I think I'm just a little…sore, after last night," she confessed, blushing as she glanced back up to her nonplussed husband.

"Oh…Oh!" The Airbender thought on that for a split second, and then winced. By the look in his eyes, she guessed that he was also reliving the moment. He glanced away and scratched the back of his neck. "Oh Spirits, I'm sorry…I must've…I didn't mean to…"

He was interrupted by her quiet laugh as she reached up to squeeze his hand. "Aang, it's okay. It was the first time, you know…there was probably bound to be a little, erm…discomfort." _Though I forgot about this part,_ she added silently.

"A-are you sure you're okay?" he stammered, taking her hand in both of his. "I-I didn't want it to be uncomfortable for you…"

"I promise you, it's fine; it's not even that bad," she argued, carefully hiding another wince as she sat up again and captured his gaze with hers. "Trust me," she smiled. "It'll go away…and in time I probably won't feel it much again. Besides…" she shyly broke their shared look. "It was completely worth it."

Aang's face softened, his worry replaced with a timid smile. "Really?"

"Yes," she softly confessed. "It was…_you_ were…just…" she blushed. "Amazing."

"Huh," he breathed out, his worry gone and replaced with content, and even a minute amount of pride. He looked back to Katara and cupped her face, turning her back to him so that he could place a small kiss on her lips. "You should know…_you_ were amazing too."

She flushed crimson. "Really?"

"Really. And you'll never be anything less than amazing to me, even if it _hadn't_ gone as planned."

Charmed by the thought, and relieved that the night had been just as perfect for him, she laughed a little and shook her head, returning the kiss. "Is this ever _not_ going to be awkward?"

"In time, I think," he gave her a mirthful grin and shrunk his head into his shoulders. "Now we've got forever to get it right."

The Waterbender snorted. "Let's get back to the subject of breakfast."

"Aw, fine," he feigned a disappointed pout and laughed, watching her. "How bad is it, though? Can you walk?"

"Well…" she hummed thoughtfully and tried to move to the edge of the bed, only to find herself wincing again when weight was put on her leg. "…Maybe not right this second."

Biting his lip, still feeling a little guilty on the matter, Aang gave his wife a patient, loving smile and wrapped her back up in the rest of the sheet and the blankets. "Stay in bed for a little while longer, then, and _I'll_ get breakfast for us. We can eat up here, too, if you want. We don't have anywhere to be right away today."

Katara had to admit, staying in bed and enjoying the quiet of that sun-drenched morning was a very enticing prospect. That she had awakened next to her new husband, and he was willing to share the start of the day with her, made it more so.

"I'd like that," she murmured and found his hand, entwining their fingers. "You're far too sweet to me, my husband."

"I can never give you enough, I think," he replied, kissing the back of her hand.

"You gave me you," she argued with a tired yawn. "That's enough."

He only answered with another soft chuckle and proceeded to get up off the bed. "Anyway, whenever you feel okay enough to get up, I got a change of clothes for you in the wardrobe over here, and you can clean up in the bathroom right through that door, and…OOP!"

As he suddenly doubled over onto the floor, Katara looked over the edge at him (trying not to stare at certain parts) and watched as he tried to get back up on a rather shaky leg.

"Oho-kay," he laughed and rubbed at his calf, which had been close to cramping, "Maybe I need a second, too."

Katara sputtered and fell back on the bed, laughing along with him. "I never once thought in my entire life that I'd see _you_ cramp up, Mr. Four Bending Disciplines."

He peered up and grimaced. "Well, _I_ never thought that you had to stretch out before doing…_that._"

"Well, you still got your exercise, all right," she snickered.

Aang rolled his eyes and blushed with a smirk as he tried again to get up and get dressed in his own more comfortable robes, still all too relieved that the tension was, for the most part, broken.

* * *

><p>Once he was at least halfway decent, the young Avatar made his way down the winding stone staircase to the main temple and the living quarters, where the reception party had taken place from last night. He suspected that most of the guests had left as soon as it was over, but perhaps a few of their friends and Katara's close family members had lingered.<p>

Sure enough, coming upon the doorway, he heard conversing voices on the other side. It was Suki and Hakoda, the former half-yelling and half-whispering.

"I can't believe he _did_ that…"

"I can, sadly."

"_Still_ though, such a beautiful, romantic day, he ends up passing out drunk right here!"

Holding back a snicker, Aang peered inside. Everything was intact for the most part, though the couches and chairs were a little askew, and Sokka was draped completely over the arm of one of them. He was snoring, with a drop of drool hanging from his chin. Watching over him with exasperated looks were his wife and father, and Toph was fast asleep over another chair nearby.

Barking a quick laugh, Aang stepped inside and waved. "Glad to see _some_ of us are awake."

The two turned around, regarding him with smiles. "Well, if it isn't the blushing groom," Suki quipped, and then turned back to her own husband with a sigh. "Yeah, and this idiot's getting a nice talking-to when he wakes up."

"Would everyone _please shut up!_" Toph suddenly growled from nearby, propping herself on the back of the chair. "My head's pounding, and I _need_ to rest it off."

"Er; sorry, we'll keep it to a whisper," Aang replied nervously.

"You'd better," the Earthbender yawned and flopped back down. "By the way, congrats again, Twinkletoes. Say, where's the new little wife, anyway?"

"I think she'd hurt you if she heard you call her that," the young monk pointed out and flicked his eyes away briefly. "And…she's still resting."

Though he couldn't see the blind girl, he just _knew_ that she had a taunting grin on her face. "Aha…wore her out, didn't you, Loverboy?"

Aang blushed profusely and bit his lip, unable to form a better response. Suki rolled her eyes. "Well, _she's_ pretty blunt when she's hung over."

"She's always like that, actually," he muttered, scratching his head while his eyes were set on the floor.

The Kyoshi Warrior's hand fell on his shoulder, her smile comforting. "Hey, don't worry about it. If it makes you feel any better, everyone kinda expected it to happen, being your wedding night and all."

"Not _too_ much better," he chuckled nervously and shook his head, wanting to abruptly change the subject. "A-anyway, are you guys the only ones left?"

"Yeah," Hakoda answered after giving up on another attempt of trying to wake up his prone son. "Fire Lord Zuko had to leave on the airship with his followers earlier this morning…but he told me he wishes you two congratulations and all the best."

Aang smiled. "Good; I'll send him a letter later to thank him. What about _you_, though?"

"Well, as you can see, we're not in a big hurry to leave," he stole a glance back to Sokka. "My mother's still resting herself, and I'm certain that Katara would want to see us all off before we head back south."

"She would," he agreed with a nod. "I don't know when she'll be ready to come back downstairs…"

"—Oooh, you _really _wore her out…" Toph interrupted with a laugh.

"Don't _you_ have a headache to suffer through?" Suki growled, intentionally loud.

"Augh, hey, one more outburst and I'll rock-alanche you _right_ to the moon!"

"An-y-way," Hakoda sighed, breaking the arguments with a commanding tone and crossing his arms.

A blushing Aang cleared his throat. "As I was saying; go ahead and make yourselves at home as long as you need. It's no bother."

"I figured it wouldn't be," the older warrior chuckled warmly. "I like the work you guys have done with this place, Aang. It isn't the South Pole, but it's comfortable; and it's a flight away, so that's good enough for me. As long as Katara will be happy here."

The Avatar nodded, smiling. "She _says_ she's happy here; I promised to keep her happy for the rest of our lives…and I hope you know, Chief Hakoda, I'll stick to it. I would never make her live anywhere that she did not wish to."

Hakoda gave his new son-in-law a fatherly smile and clapped a hand to his shoulder. "I've known it since the day you told me you were in love with her, boy." His eyes softened. "I know I've said it before, but, congratulations. I could see it in your eyes, the way you feel for her, I am reminded of how I felt for her mother. And I have never seen her happier, either. I could have never imagined a better man for my daughter…and I'm not talking to the Avatar, here; I'm talking to her best friend, and a member of my family." He held his other hand up to him and laughed. "So quit calling me 'Chief', huh?"

"Sorry, old habits," Aang grinned humbly, but nonetheless gripped the man's forearm in the tradition of the Water Tribe. "And it means more to me than you know to even have such a wonderful family, and Katara's heart."

"It's good to know," Hakoda returned the grip firmly and chuckled. "Just try not to make me a grandfather far too soon for my liking. I already feel old."

"Ohhh, I'm already taking bets on that," Toph drawled.

"Betsa what now?" another voice suddenly muttered, as a wobbly body sat itself up from the couch. Sokka blinked at the others, unfocused. "Wha happened?"

"Well finally," the chief sighed.

Suki poked him in the chest, eyes narrowed dangerously. "_You_ didn't come to our room last night like you promised me."

"Really?" the swordsman wheezed. "I thought I did." He looked over himself. "Oh, no, wait…this is the couch. An' I'm wearin'…stuff that isn't what I sleep in. Ugh…" he slapped his forehead and fell back. "M'sorry."

Having lost her anger some time ago, Suki sighed and helped to prop him up again. "I didn't even realize you were such a lightweight."

"Hey, I thought I told everyone to shut up," Toph grumbled.

"_You_ shut up," Sokka shot back.

"Don't make me shut you up _for_ you, snot-brain…"

Aang's eyes rolled. "Okay, okay guys…you know what I think everyone needs? Breakfast."

"Oh good," Sokka groaned as he was helped up to his feet. "Lemme at that kitchen. Oh, by the way," he paused upon ambling past the Airbender and lightly knuckling him in the shoulder, "Congrats. Your wedding's today, pal."

The others snickered, and Aang gave him a confused smirk. "You mean it was yesterday, brother-in-law. Your head's still scrambled a bit."

"Oh, right," he drawled. "Yesterday. Gotcha."

He started ambling off again, only to come to a screeching halt. "Wait. Wedding yesterday." He whirled around on one foot. "Where's Katara?"

"Still up in beeeeed," Toph sang before Aang, his face in his palm, could answer. "And I bet she had _fun_…"

"ACK!" Sokka held the sides of his head and ran into the kitchen. "There's stuff in my brain that wants OUT now!"

Aang felt like he wanted to bury himself deep into the mountain and never come out again, after that.

Hakoda stuck beside the embarrassed young man while the others shuffled into the dining room. "Don't worry, son, the awkwardness goes away after a while," he chuckled. "Can I give you some advice, though?"

The Airbender wanted to wince, wondering what kind of talk Katara's father wanted to have. "What's that, sir?" he inquired anyway, not wanting to be rude.

The warrior's voice lowered to a whisper, and despite his earlier concern, his look was an understanding one. "Go take her breakfast, and spend as much of the day as possible together. All things considered, I think you two feel more comfortable with each other right now than with all the gawking relatives and the like."

Aang released a short laugh at that. "Yeah…true. I-I was planning on it, anyway. Thanks, Hakoda."

"I was newly married once too, you know," Hakoda said with a wink before heading in to help with the food. Aang shook his head, still smiling.

_What a family._

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><p>Back upstairs, while everything else was going on, Katara managed slowly to get onto her feet. She placed their wedding outfits onto the dresser to be taken care of later, smiling fondly as she folded them; hopefully, she thought, the beautifully-made garments would see the light of day again in the future. She mused that she could give the dress to her daughter, if she were to have one.<p>

Still, in the wake of that morning, she felt a little lazier than usual and settled for putting on a soft silk gown and comfortable robe once that was done. As she settled back onto the bed with only a small wince to acknowledge the dwindling ache, and busied herself with brushing the knots out of her hair, the Waterbender's mind drifted back to the events of the day before.

She had always felt that many moments with Aang were like living through a dream from which she could never awaken. But during the wedding, when they were speaking their vows, she could never remember feeling so fulfilled, so happy—so warm, when before she had lived so many facets of a frigid life, afraid and uncertain, waiting for the next time that someone close to her could be taken away.

Katara hoped to never lose that feeling of fulfillment, now that she was married to him. It was a new future to look forward to, and new ups and downs to live through; it would be exciting and harrowing, but she was ready to face it…now that Aang could only ever be taken away from her in death. And not even then, for she was sure that she would join him if it were to happen.

It wasn't too much longer into those thoughts before they returned with vivid clarity back to the night before, their first as husband and wife. She wanted to giggle upon remembering how nervous they were, and how they brought each other out of their shells eventually. She blushed with the memory of how she had repeated his name like a mantra, crying out with sheer bliss. How he groaned out her own name as if he were calling out desperately for her. She shivered, remembering how it felt like everything in the world she ever wanted was wrapped all around, protecting and giving and making her want to give back just as much, just as powerfully.

Katara let out a deep breath and pressed her legs together, wanting to soon relive those emotions. _It feels strange to think that we actually did that,_ she mused, _but it feels natural, too. _She had to smile to herself, feeling the heartwarming waves coursing through her blood again. _And we'll be able to have that between us forever now. If we can stop being so nervous about it._

It was at that moment that she heard the door open again, and looked up to see Aang poking his head inside. It made her want to swoon, the way his face lit up when he saw her. He carried a silver tray inside by two handles, full with plates of food and drinks. "Still hungry, dear?" he grinned theatrically.

She laughed and inhaled the delectable scent of breakfast, which consisted of a couple of types of soup, rice, fruit, and sweet bread. "As ever, _dear._ What took so long?"

Rolling his eyes, he lightly kicked the door closed and set the tray in front of them on the bed. "The others were awake, so I had to show them where things in the kitchen were. By the way, guess who woke up on the couch with a hangover."

Katara grimaced. "Easy guess; I half-expected my brother to start dancing on someone's table at the party. I suppose Suki wasn't too pleased."

"Nope," Aang snickered. "Toph was in a pretty bad mood, too. But, get some food in their stomachs and they'll be back to normal."

"A bad mood isn't normal for Toph?"

"…Point."

They both laughed and dug into their breakfast. "Anyway," the Airbender said upon swallowing his rice, "Your family and Toph are staying for another day or two to rest up before heading back. They figured you wanted to see them off. Zuko and everybody already left though, but they send the best."

Katara nodded with a sigh. "One of the reasons I hate getting up late. I miss all our friends leaving."

"They understand," Aang assured, reaching out to tenderly rub her shoulder. "At least they were at the wedding…they're always so busy otherwise. And we'll see them again, anytime we want."

"That's true," the Waterbender admonished as she poured the tea in her cup. When she reached up to take a sip, though, she caught a strong herbal scent from it.

Aang noticed her pause. "There's a little bit of medicine in that tea," he explained, nervously scratching the back of his head. "For pain."

A little blush crossed her face, and she leaned in to kiss his cheek. "I don't think any other man would have been half as thoughtful."

"They could have been," he chuckled, "But, _I_ got here first."

She barked a laugh and nudged him. "I'd better not regret it."

"Oh, you won't," he grinned and returned his concentration to the food.

They ate in silence for a few moments more, content as always to enjoy each other's company. But Katara could hardly keep her thoughts away from her new husband and what it meant to the both of them that they were finally a true family; she stole glances at him every so often, wondering what he was thinking. She wouldn't have been surprised to know that it was all the very same, thanking the spirits eternally for him even being able to have that morning with her after everything he had to endure.

And of course, she had to keep from blushing when last night's memories still played incessantly again in her mind and couldn't at all be turned off. She took a long sip out of her tea and took a calming breath, gaining his concerned attention again while doing so.

"You know," she started, "We should go on a honeymoon."

Aang paused and carefully set his bowl back down onto the tray. "Yeah, we should," he agreed, glancing at her with an apologetic look. "Don't hate me, but…actually, out of all the craziness and rushing around with the wedding, I didn't even think of planning it. I thought we'd just be right here."

The Waterbender shook her head with a sheepish smile of her own. "I don't hate you at all…as a matter of fact, I hadn't thought about it either. Don't get me wrong, I love what we've done with the Southern Air Temple, and it's perfectly as quiet and out of the way as any place would be…but, I think we both also deserve even just a week or two to get away and visit some favorite places. And just have each other to ourselves."

Aang had to admit, after the awkwardness with the others and having Toph pick at him, a good time away with just the two of them would be perfect. It was just like Hakoda had inferred; they needed to have time to become comfortable with each other as newlyweds; to bond anew. And though he couldn't yet find the strength to admit it to her, it was hard for him to wait until the next time they _could_ have a repeat of the night before.

"Yeah; it's a great idea, I think," he smiled after a pause. "We'd need it too; there's never much rest for the Avatar or a Water Tribe Master. At least for a while."

"Don't remind me," she sighed, shaking her head. "But I'm glad you agree. So, the next question is, where do you think we should go?"

"Well…where would _you_ like to go?" he said. "I don't want to take you anywhere that you'd hate."

"The same goes for me to you," Katara hummed, and laughed quietly. "We usually don't have a problem with agreeing on things together. How about this…we go to the place _I_ want for a while, and the place _you_ want for another while."

He chuckled. "I like that idea. Then we'll both be happy."

"Aang, with you, I'll always be happy; you know that," she gave him a sweet smile and leaned her shoulder to his. "So…where would _you_ go?"

He had to think for a moment on that. Even as a young nomad, he'd seen so many amazing places to choose from, it was hard to pick one as his favorite…but then he had to remember that many of them would have changed in a hundred years. Most of his traveling after the iceberg had been done for the purpose of running for their lives, or needing to be somewhere; never just for the journey. There were few perfect places that he could remember.

Finally, he resigned himself to a choice. "The Eastern Air Temple, maybe? We both liked it there when we went after the war, and it's a beautiful place. Very spiritual and calm."

Katara hummed with a thoughtful smile. "Yeah…it was amazing. We have some nice memories there…" she blushed.

"Absolutely," he said with confirmation in his tone, pulling her in for an affectionate kiss on her forehead. "Now, your turn."

"Hm…" she mused. "Well…you'll probably think I'm crazy, but I always thought the Fire Nation had some beautiful spots. Remember the place with the _giant_ waterfall?"

"You're not crazy," he assured, beaming. "And you're right; the Fire Nation has some amazing natural areas. We could hit Ember Island at the beach, maybe…or if you want, somewhere a little less populated."

"Yep; though I do love the beach," Katara sighed. Sometimes it was a little difficult being a thoroughly recognizable world hero. "I don't mind just camping out at a beautiful spot, like we did in the old days."

Aang had to laugh a little at that. "I _did_ turn you into a nomad."

"Only a little," she snorted, poking his rib. "But it would be easy for us, since we know what we're doing."

"True, true," he grinned proudly. "It helps to know a _true_ world traveler."

"Quit boasting and say it's a good idea," Katara quirked an eyebrow, grinning.

He straightened up. "Yes ma'am, it's a good idea," he softened and hugged her again with a quiet laugh. "And I _do_ think so, not just because you told me to agree with you."

"Well, thank you," she laughed back. "We can take about a week in each place I think…maybe counting the days it takes to get there. If the world can live without the Avatar that long."

"I see no reason why it couldn't," he assured. "We _do_ have to be easily reachable, though."

"Tell Zuko he can send messenger hawks," Katara shrugged, and then pointed in his face. "But _only_ if it's life-or-death urgent. We're _not_ skipping _our_ honeymoon for silly diplomatic meetings and such."

"Duly noted," he nodded in full agreement, picking up her hands in his and squeezing them lovingly. "That's my solemn promise; for two weeks, I'm _all_ yours."

"And I make the same promise," she murmured, leaning in to peck him on the lips. "Just you and me."

"Perfect," he said, sealing it with a tender kiss right back.

They then remembered that there was still food left to eat and went back to it, only sparing little glances and secretive giggles, knowing very much that if they were to get caught up in each other now, that there was no way they would stop. And neither of them _wanted_ to stop…an agreement which soon managed to again enter the newlyweds' minds.

When they were finished eating, Katara gathered the empty pottery onto the tray and stood up with the almost-involuntary intent of taking them to be washed; but she was stopped with the gentle grip of an arrow-clad hand on her wrist. She turned back to him, questioningly, and her breath caught in her throat.

Aang's smile was rather hypnotizing, she thought right then, as the gentleness and pleading behind his eyes kept her frozen. _Stay with me,_ she knew he was saying…and she found herself unable to find a reason not to. Without much hesitation, he took her hands on the tray handles and guided it to sit on the nightstand. "Leave it, for now," he whispered.

Katara acquiesced and was pulled closely back down next to him into the bed with her hands still in his. For a reason she couldn't yet pinpoint, her heart was racing.

Thoroughly entranced just as his wife was, the Airbender reached up to run his fingers gently over her cheek. Her eyes drifted closed with the warm contact of his skin, and she leaned closer into his embrace, a set of fingers clasping his and the other drifting behind his neck, and herself very much lost. Staring deeply into his eyes, and he into hers, they couldn't fight the pull; the very need to banish every inch of space separating them.

They laid themselves back down to the pillows, facing one another, keeping their gazes locked and their loving, shy smiles giving them a sort of perpetual glow in the other's presence.

It seemed like a long time before the silence was broken again. "Everything's gonna be different, isn't it?" Aang whispered tentatively.

Katara knew what he'd meant by those ironic words, without even asking. Marriage, life together, a family, a future…_everything_ seemed different. And yet she knew…just by waking up with him, speaking with him, laughing, eating, all the little things that they were used to together in that short start to the day…she knew that little if anything had to change.

"I don't think so," she murmured back.

"No?" his eyebrows rose slightly.

"No." Her hand found his again. "We've always had such a strong connection. We were always close. As friends, as a couple...I don't see a big difference even after we're married."

She intertwined their fingers and brought her face closer, touching her nose to his, speaking so quietly that only the two of them could possibly hear in the small space they created there, away from even the sunlight of the world outside. His eyes went half-lidded, listening to her continue. "I think, really, all that's changed now…is that after last night, we can know each other in much more intimate ways. Deeper ways."

"…That's true," he whispered, caressing the back of her hand with his thumb. "No matter what's happened, I still love you as much as I always have, with _all_ I could give. To be honest, I _still_ don't think that a ceremony was needed to confirm that."

Katara giggled. "Then why did we have one, I wonder?" she teased.

"Well…" Aang shrugged one shoulder. "I think it was to show the _rest_ of the world that we only belonged to each other. And to celebrate it with our families." He gave her a shy smile. "And besides all that, if a night like that had happened without one, to the world, you'd be disgraced. I would _never_ have done that to you."

She blushed and closed her eyes, sighing. "Aang, you know I wouldn't have cared what they thought…"

"Still," he leaned his forehead to hers, "You would have rather waited."

"…Yes," she admitted, opening her eyes to his again, connecting to his soul in that way. "But I wouldn't have regretted it if it happened otherwise."

"I'm glad to know that…but it didn't, so we don't worry about it." He smiled. "Besides, I did like the ceremony…and the vows I made, which you know I'll stand by."

Katara felt on the verge of tears, remembering those vows and how hard it was to keep her composure upon hearing them. "I know. So will I."

"I know. There's nobody more that I trust in this world."

It was his soft words, and the gentle look that had stolen her heart so long ago, that made it threaten to leap from her chest. "Aang…Aang, Aang, Aang…" she sighed the simple but strong syllable of his name longingly, curling up against the Airbender and holding him tightly to her as her cheek brushed his own. His grip tightened around her as well, and he never wanted to let go.

"Katara," he breathed back, his voice low and smooth in her ear…soft, beckoning, loving. He littered slow kisses on the side of her face, until she lifted her head and fervently met his lips with her own.

The kisses were tender and lingering, a slow caress of lips and tongue and breath and voice, serving to break the two of them out of all manner of barriers that their coherent thoughts had put up before. The deeper they went, the closer they became, until nothing lay between.

So entangled as they were, the heat in their blood rose all the faster. Her palms roamed all along his back and gripped the fabric of his robe. He groaned when her legs wound around his, and she only started pressing closer when his hands, flat to her body, roamed downward to her hips and further still…

Aang was only brought back to reality for a moment when he felt her hands at the sash around his waist, tugging at the knot. He broke the heated kisses and held her forearm, giving them pause for their minds to catch up. Even through the sudden glaze of lust, his expression held concern.

"…Are you sure you want this right now?" he asked lowly. "You might still be uncomfortable."

With a soft grin, Katara exhaled and shook her head. With a questioning Airbender watching her, she sat up over him and undid the knot in her own robe. He bit his lip and blushed, staring as it fell off of her shoulders to reveal the silk gown that fit so well over her, and it wasn't hard to imagine what lay underneath.

He was nearly knocked out of his mind at the sight, but was still coherent enough to expect an answer to his question. "Katara," he pleaded, sitting up as well to meet her eyes evenly.

She reached up and cupped his cheek. "It's okay; I know you're concerned, but, don't be. It's gotten much better, and especially after your medicine, I hardly feel it," she said, reassuringly kissing him on the cheek and nuzzling his face as she leaned closer against him. "I…I want this right now; I want _you,_ Aang. And I want the discomfort—all of it, for both of us—to go away."

Aang couldn't find the will to argue. He wanted to allow his resolve to slip away, and it did, when she tentatively reached out for his robe again. Her fingers trickled down the exposed middle of his chest. The garment opened as she moved lower, slowly, waiting for him to stop her again and finding that he wasn't. He was only breathing a little harder.

"…I want that too…" he finally sighed out as her lips came up to his and from there trailed kisses to his ear. He could barely feel when the robe finally slipped off his shoulders; there were far too many sensations to concentrate on. He focused on her, the feel of her chest pressing to him, and how the silk felt over her skin when his hands caressed up and down her sides.

She moaned a small whimper when he reached down to the edge of her robe and _under_ it, moving up the skin of her leg to her hip and over the curve to the lower spine. All the while, a torrent of shivers raced along her nerves. And for him, feeling that she indeed had nothing on underneath, he was overwhelmed with ecstasy and anticipation; with it there came a familiar tightening in his loins.

When the nightgown was drawn up to her shoulder blades, he caught her gaze questioningly, and she answered in kind with a shy but reassuring smile. "Go on."

With that, the silk was pulled away over her head and dropped to the side. She straddled his legs, bared completely before him, except for the single little betrothal necklace that he'd made resting over her collarbone. The memories from the night before had returned their assault on his mind…and now it was like he was looking upon her anew, with the morning light giving more clarity to her form than the candlelit shadows did.

He reached up to her, his thumbs moving sensually across the top of her chest, and his drifting touch on her was as reverent as it was exploring. "You're a goddess," he murmured.

She hummed a small laugh, blushing as she crawled closer over her husband and wrapped him in her arms. "That's new."

He shortly grinned. "I know, it's corny…could be true though." He leaned his head to her neck and delicately suckled the sensitive skin, smiling as he felt her shiver as a result. When the attentions of his mouth moved further to her chest, he was graced with a short, breathy moan.

His loose pants were the last thing between them, and now that she knew that he'd also wanted her, Katara wasted no time in pulling it down his hips. Aang groaned lowly on her skin, closing his eyes with what little timidness on the matter was left; she never had anything negative to say about seeing _all_ of him for the first time, but it was still too new to him.

Seeing his reaction, she left his trousers around his knees and tilted her head up to kiss him with the tenderness that he always knew she had. She felt him shiver and let go of his tension, giving in to her comforting gesture and only pulling her closer. He sat up against the wall, and she was draped over his front, knees to either side of his hips, her body against his feeling warmer than any blanket could be.

"I hope you know, this still feels new to me, too," she whispered against his lips, peering through her eyelids to see him doing the same. "But it still makes me happy to be sharing it with _you._"

"Me too…" he murmured, his voice deep and gentle and passionate. She felt his breath on her lips as he spoke. "With you…and _only_ you."

With that, Katara felt no reason to keep either of them waiting any longer. "Only you," she echoed back, taking him in a kiss deep and thorough enough to drown them both. They both shuddered when she ground her center to his…he loosed a low groan when she slipped over him…her breath held a primal cry of ecstasy when he, with a swift movement of his hips, sheathed himself completely in her warmth.

It was just like they had done the night before; trying to be as close to one another as they could possibly get, skin upon skin, heat upon heat, buried in each other's very essence, limbs entwined, hearts beating as one…and yet, it _just wasn't enough._

But it struck them again as it had done before: there was no holding back. They had forever. They had each other.

As she fell into a rhythm with him, guiding herself back and forth again along his length, she pressed her body firmly to his and held him as if dreading to let him go. She wanted to grace him with all the passion and love that she could, all while knowing and _feeling_ how real he was. Aang returned that passion in kind, moving his body what little he could with her, clutching her around her waist and shoulder, her name moaned without hindrance from his lips.

Neither of them could believe how the feeling of raw passion felt with their soul mate; they were certain that nothing could compare. That nobody else could give them that sort of passion, or of love. He kissed his new wife all over where he could, worshipping her. She returned his affections with tender kisses of her own, grinding against him with a steady pace.

"Kata-AH! _Katara,_" he groaned out after a moment, breathless and ensnared in continuous pleasure, his back pressed further to the wall as she sped up just a little more, "I _love you._"

The way he said those words, with purpose and depth and sincerity, had nearly driven her to the edge. "I love _you_…so much more…than you know," she gasped out, panting and reeling from the feelings overtaking her. "I'll never…let go of you…" she murmured lowly as she kept moving against him, feeling his hands running all across where they could reach. "Ohhh…if you don't…let go of me…either…"

Her words cut to his heart, and he held her still, almost to stopping. She was becoming a little winded, he knew then, and that they were both so close to the end…so close, yet at the same time, he never _wanted_ it to end.

But, now, it was _his_ turn to give back.

"Katara…I never intend to," he promised before rolling them both over so that she lay flat on the bed, he flat to _her_, still within her depths. He took over the pace, fitting to her and flowing with her so very easily. She clutched his sweating body to hers, overpowered and all too happy to accept it.

"Aang…_oh…AANG!"_ she roared, holding tightly onto him as she braced herself for the approaching climax.

He felt the wall of pleasure rushing headlong and thrust forward one last time. He felt her nails in his skin…she felt him lower his head to her shoulder and cry out…and they were taken out of all reality for just a few seconds, shuddering against one another.

The storm within held powerfully for just a moment more, and then released them to fall back into reality. The two benders still clutched onto their other half like there was nothing else to hold on to, slumping slowly onto the bed.

When they opened their eyes again, breathing labored, they beheld happiness in the other the likes of which they had never seen. Happiness and trust forged a million times over; bared completely at one another's mercy and yet knowing fully that they were in the safest place in the world: she in the arms of her husband, he in the arms of his wife.

A shy, but content, smile drew itself slowly over Katara's features as she touched her warm cheek to his. "I can _definitely_ get used to that," she said with a quivering laugh.

He laughed with her, utterly too comfortable to even move; only to hold her tighter. "Me too," he whispered. "But it'll still be special to me."

She drew in a shaky breath, barely containing her tears of bliss as she felt like drifting comfortably along with the warmth his body offered in the aftermath. "I feel the same, my love."

Beaming softly, he kissed the side of her face, closing his eyes and lazily drifting his lips over her skin. Her fingers on his back ghosted over the stripe of his tattoo along the spine, lingered on the deathly scar that broke it, and together they were nothing if not grateful that death had never found either of them in the nightmarish wars of the past. Here in their bedchamber, nesting amidst the soft, tussled sheets, there was only peace. Hopefully, there would only _ever_ be peace.

After a moment, Katara chuckled. "Well…I suppose we should try moving now."

"We probably should," he agreed, monotone.

"But we don't _want_ to."

"…Yep."

She looked into his calm, dark eyes, sheepish and sultry at the same time. "You don't mind if I stay here a while?"

He smiled back and stole a short kiss from her lips. "If you don't mind me doing so too."

She kissed him back. "Not at all."

"Good. I can't move," he snickered.

"Do you want to?"

"Absolutely not."

And so with the sun making its rounds over a new morning on the earth, warming them with a steady stream of light through the window of their room, they _didn't_ move, not until life urged them to live on, forever, together.


	3. Life's Gifts

((AN: So yay, I'm not dead. x3 At least I've written a new story to -one- of my Avatar bits, even if it's the series rated M. :B But hey, my muse can be picky sometimes, especially when she wants to be romantic. x3

Don't worry, I'm also trying to work on the other stuff...a new chapter of Comet's Wake is about 3/4 of the way done, and more info on that will be there when I put it up. Also started another one-shot for Between the Pages, and I've still got some ideas for that as well. I'd like to thank all of you for your patience and your encouragement, and all the new faves and alerts. Really, I'm -still- amazed that my writing gets as much attention as it does, and I only hope that what I keep doing entertains all of you as much as it does myself. ^^

Anyway. x3 On with the passion. This one leads more towards canon-like directions, as I had an overhead picture of Air Temple Island on hand while I was writing to discern things, but things like their ages and whatnot might not still be consistent...but may hopefully be easily fixable. xP Also it was hard to write for a while, as I kept stewing over just what things these two could ever argue about...but I had help from a scenario I'd seen somewhere before in a few sitcoms. Good grief, what does it say about me that I sometimes get my inspiration from sitcoms? xP

Enjoy!

Also, Mike and Bryan own these two, as always, so they get all the cookies.))

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><p><span>Life's Gifts<span>

At their island home of the new Air Temple, still undergoing some construction, the weather was mild and the air crisp with the smell of the ocean. Each cool breeze through the open windows and rooms of the ornate building, and whistling through the trees, brought the prediction of a night without rain. The clouds that now were catching the last of the sun's light would also probably catch the moon's bright, white glow and illuminate the edges of their otherwise invisible stark blackness against the sky. At the other horizon, he knew that the lights of the swiftly-growing Republic City would soon cast upon the ocean.

Aang had barely noticed the sight of the sunset; the twenty-year-old Avatar sat upon one of the tallest windowsills with a new project in hand, a circlet made of newly-blossoming flowers and braided tufts of soft bison fur. He paused in its creation and shortly smiled, suddenly remembering words of Sokka's from what seemed like so long ago: "Maybe instead of saving the world, you can go into the jewelry-making business."

He recalled that he wasn't really kidding when he replied to his future brother-in-law that he could probably do both. The Airbender loved crafting things even in his youth, and even now, he liked having a hobby...something to do whenever he had the spare time and peace to himself. He'd gotten comments from his friends that, perhaps, his crafts could be sold; surely something made by the Avatar would fetch a good price.

"No thanks," he'd said with a humble laugh, "It's just something I like to do."

And he did, especially whenever his little creations turned themselves into gifts for his beloved Katara. He'd given her necklaces, bracelets, circlets; things he'd made either out of randomness or to show her how much he cherished her...treasures left by their bedside in the morning or slipped into her hand when she passed by...and she'd kept them all, for his things were always made with care and precision, and with her in mind.

He took a long breath and let it out with a sigh, returning to make some finishing touches with his work. He did indeed have his wife in mind with this latest project...but in a different way than usual. He was hoping to end the distance between them caused with a recent fight.

It was a small disagreement, really...but any disagreement with Katara felt like a big deal to Aang. He closed his eyes and paused, the words from earlier coming back to him in a flash.

_"...But Aang, think about it...it's still a real possibility!"_

_ "I don't _want_ to think about it, that's the thing. Why would you think we wouldn't be there for our child?"_

_ "I'm not saying we won't...I'm just saying, we should be prepared. Who would take care of it if we're not here?"_

_ "Well, _you_ can worry about that. I refuse to see things that way."_

_ "Stop being stubborn! This is for our child...!"_

Aang's eyes snapped open, and his heart burned. Katara, who was currently five months pregnant, had come to him earlier that evening with a sudden concern: what if something would happen to both of them? What would become of their children? What if she were to die in childbirth?

It was all too suddenly depressing for Aang to think about...to him, losing Katara was a stark impossibility. He _wanted_ it to be...to lose her would feel to him like he had lost his entire world, all over again; he felt that he'd never recover. He'd adamantly dismissed the notion, and felt so hurt that she'd even consider it possible...and yet, he knew, she was only pleading with him to think of being prepared for such a scenario.

He wiped the moisture from his eyes and looked again at his finished gift, running his fingers over the delicate white petals. "I'm so stupid..." the Airbender murmured to himself. _Maybe I _was _a little too quick to dismiss this. As much as I hate to say it...it is possible, even if we live so safely now. We have to think about this for our baby._

_ All I know is...I just want to see her._

With another sigh to lighten his heavy heart, Aang sat up and looked out along the darkening horizon. As his eyes followed the ocean in an invisible path back down to the edges of the island, he nodded once to himself. _The cove. If I were her...I'm certain she's down there on the beach somewhere at least._

And so, he bended himself on a cushion of air down to the courtyard, and took off at a short run...hoping and praying that his beloved Waterbender still wasn't too angry with him.

* * *

><p>She sat in the warm white sand encircling the south-eastern end of the island, still and quiet as she took in the smell of the wind and the sound of her element crashing upon the beach. Her right hand rested upon her rounded abdomen, rubbing comfortably over the surface where she knew her baby was nestled...warm and still growing...sharing her health and breath and blood.<p>

Katara loved the beach at that hour of the evening, when the sky was dark and the stars winked into view one by one and two by two. It was serene...one of those places where you could go just to feel like there was no strife, or a responsibility to tend to the rough edges of a peaceful world. The breeze was cool on her skin, billowing through the expansive folds of the Air Nomad-colored robe that her beloved had given her for comfort while pregnant.

Her disagreement with Aang had been forgotten long ago. The Waterbender truly did understand his state of mind after thinking about it; she didn't want to imagine a world where their child would never know the love of their parents, and she knew that it tore him apart to hear of the possibility. Now she wished that she hadn't shouted...hadn't pushed him away.

But, she wouldn't be alone much longer. Far behind her and coming closer, slowly, was her husband. His light footfalls didn't even register in the soft, shifting sand, and so he was free to watch her undisturbed and peaceful countenance. Her eyes, bluer than the ocean itself, held free-floating and unburdened thoughts behind them as he came around to her side and could see her face.

He almost didn't wish to bother her right then...but as she caught him out of the corner of her eye and turned slightly to grace him with a small smile, he was frozen to the spot anyway, giving a sheepish smile of his own with his hands behind his back. "...Hey," he greeted softly.

"Hey, yourself," she responded, her gaze awkwardly turning from him and back down to her pregnant girth.

Tilting his head, he knelt beside her and tentatively held a hand out to touch her stomach. Her heart couldn't help but start to race when she saw the soft look of warmth and love in his eyes.

"You know...I think you've got the right idea to sit out here," he observed. "The ocean air should be good for the baby."

Katara hummed. "Well, it was always good for me. And what's good for me is good for him, I think. Or her."

He chuckled back, looking fondly back to his wife. "I always trusted that. Can...can I join you two?"

She chuckled at the use of "you two", but it also warmed her heart. It was always such a new and wonderful feeling when she observed that Aang's love for their first child, even before it was born, was equal to his love for her. She patted the sand next to her. "Of course you can."

He took the invitation and sat down close, his leg touching hers, but no closer than that...lest she was still feeling a tiny bit cross with him. Still, Katara's eternally-sweet smile gave him a little more relief for that quiet moment with her.

She watched him curiously, noticing his slight nervousness nonetheless. He took a breath, and his hands came from around his back to produce the circlet of woven bison fur and flowers, presenting it. "Oh..." she breathed, her eyes widening at the unexpectedness of the little gift.

"I made this for you," he smiled hopefully. "Sort of...a peace offering. I'm...I'm sorry for overreacting earlier." He hung his head. "You were right...it's a possibility that can't be ignored. If something were to happen to us...to you...I didn't want to think of what it would do to me, and could do to the baby..."

His words were halted by the feel of her hands upon his own. "It's okay, Aang...I'm not mad anymore. I know why you felt the way you did...I do too. It's hard for me to feel like I have to think about that, but...I probably shouldn't. I'm sorry for even bringing it up."

Aang breathed out a sigh and shook his head, pulling her carefully into a close embrace. "Don't be. I want to talk about this, Katara. If not now, then at some point at least."

At that moment, any kind of wish to argue with him disappeared into an exhausted haze of emotion. She sighed out his name quietly and laid her cheek upon his shoulder, letting herself be drawn closer into one of his loving holds that was impossible to get out of. It had been a half-day's time that passed since the fight...and yet she had missed the feel of his protective arms around her body, the sound of his even breathing, and the scent of his robe. As for Aang, his thoughts drifted away just at the feel of her, and being able to hold on to her and their unborn child as if to protect them from the world; just as she had long protected him. His fingers wove through her hair, his other palm caressing a large circle on her back...and the ocean became the only sound of their own shared world.

For a long time, they didn't speak. His head lay against hers, and his eyes closed, breathing her in.

Soon enough, he was about to think of suggesting that they move back inside and to their bed, with no more talk on the matter at hand if she so wished. But her tentative question came first.

"...I just want to know one thing right now..." she whispered. "If...if I were to die after giving birth..."

His arms tightened around her, gentle and yet possessive. "I would be devastated," he answered.

"I know you would. But...would you still try to live on, for the child? You wouldn't...resent him?"

The Avatar's eyes shot open, and he broke the embrace shortly to look at her in hurt shock. "Katara...of course not...I could never resent our child for _anything._ He...or she...is a gift. A true and innocent miracle, no matter what." He reached down to rub her belly, still looking her in the eyes. "Why would you ever think that I would?"

She sniffed and buried herself closer to him again. "I don't know. The thought just came to me, along with this fear of leaving him without parents that love him."

As Aang held her, taking in her words, he slowly came to the hidden meaning behind her pain. He remembered how her mother's death and her father's leaving for war had affected her...he remembered feeling the curiosity of his own lost parents and the pain that had followed. "Like us," he finally guessed.

Katara took in a shaky breath and forced the unshed tears in her eyes to dry. "It's probably just the pregnancy talking, all these rushing emotions; I know it's stupid to worry about now, but...I just wanted to be sure that if something _did_ happen..."

"Shh..." he hushed, and held her face in his palms. "Katara, I'm going to promise you something right now, okay?"

Watching him, seeing how serious he was, she could only nod. His thumbs stroked her cheeks as he spoke. "It would be a hard life if I had to live it without you. But I _would_ live. And I would make sure that I could be there for our baby. Finally, if I too were to die, I would make sure that he would be taken care of...and given the best that I could give. This I swear, on my love for you both."

Her jaw quivered, and her eyes closed to the haze of moisture clouding them. It seemed impossible, the depths that his sincerity seemed to reach whenever he promised and professed anything for her...but yet it was there, she could feel it, and could never deny it. It was more than she ever wanted to hear.

Aang leaned her forehead to hers. "Do you promise me that too?"

Her eyes opened to his steel-gray gaze. "Aang, you know I would. It would be hard to live without you too...so hard...but for the life we created together, I would. I promise."

"Good...then no more talking about this. Promise me once more," he demanded in a soft whisper, nudging her nose with his and giving her a tiny grin. He took the flower circlet from her hands and placed it on her head. "It's not likely that either of us will die. I want my optimistic Katara back. The Katara that I know will be the best mother ever."

She couldn't help but mirror his smile, laughing through her tears. "Okay, okay."

"Come on, say it," he pressed, kissing her cheek. "You promise to be happy."

The Waterbender laughed and gave him a little shove. "Aang..." she giggled when he nipped playfully at her ear. "Okay, okay...I promise."

"Good," he smiled and pulled back, unable to tear his eyes away from hers...not when he saw the light had returned to them and made them shine as brilliantly as the stars above. "I love you so very much, Katara," he breathed.

She leaned in and tenderly pressed her lips to his, entwining her fingers with his and laying their joined hands upon her belly. "I love you too...and I know I definitely want to live to see our baby call you 'daddy' for the first time."

"It won't be half as cute as you being called 'mommy'," he pointed out with a gentle laugh, returning the kiss with fervor and relishing the sound of her cheerful voice laughing and humming against his mouth. He lived to make her happy...and those sounds felt like they'd extended his life tenfold.

It seemed like ages before they parted again, and just quietly took in each other's expression of bliss...that sleepy half-eyed look from her husband told Katara thousands of words about his emotions without her having to even guess. Never would she grow tired of it. And just so, to Aang, that same look coupled with the luminous splash of red on her cheeks made her impossibly more beautiful than ever.

He broke the silence with a chuckle as his hand reached up to tuck loose strands of hair behind her ear, brushing the circlet in the process. "Looks like I haven't lost my artistry. You look like royalty."

She scoffed and gave him a little shove in the chest. "I'm not, though."

"Daughter of the chief," he pointed out with an amused eyebrow quirk.

Her head shook. "I don't think the title holds the same power in the Southern Tribe though. Dad was always more like...leader of the warriors. Gran-Gran took care of everyone more."

"She wasn't alone, if I recall," Aang hummed with mirth and lowered his forehead to the back of her hands. "Royalty or not, you're worthy of respect, Master Katara."

"Weeelll, when you put it that way, Avatar," she grinned and flipped her hair with a fancy air, making fun of herself, before laughing and placing a kiss on the crown of his head. "Really though, thank you, Aang...it's beautiful, as always. You didn't have to make anything for me...you know I'd forgive you."

"I wanted to." He raised his head to look at her again. "If only to see you smile."

She laughed, unable to stop the warmth from crawling to her face. "Charming as always." Her eyes darted from his after a pause. "Speaking of the tribe...and of family...I'm wondering who you think would be best for taking care of the baby if we can't."

His eyebrows rose. "Didn't you promise not to dwell on that?"

"I promised I would be happy," she corrected, poking him on the nose with a smirk. "I just want your opinion."

Aang sighed, his eyes rolling upward with a hum. "I don't know...we know a few good families. I'd say Sokka and Suki. Maybe your dad, now that he spends most of his time at home."

She nodded. "That's what I think too." She took a deep breath, looking down at the bump of her stomach and running her palm over it. The Waterbender's head shook. "I really _was_ being silly," she whispered. "I can't believe I doubted this about us...about our families."

"Katara..." Aang breathed as he pulled her to him again, immediately wishing to soothe her aching heart. At that moment, he wished that he could bring her closer, into his lap, his arms holding her as tightly as he could. But he also feared jostling the baby, which he could barely feel small movements from as his palm pressed flat to the growing bump. "Katara," he said again, "You're breaking your promise now."

She let out a tiny laugh into his robe that came out as a half-choked sob. "Not anymore. It's...it's just a wonder how we can ever fight, when you make me so happy."

He laid a kiss against her head, breathing the scent of salt and sand that had caught in her hair on her long stay out on that beach. "It just happens sometimes. But I love you far too much to let any disagreement keep me from you. Ever."

Katara tilted her head up to look at him, opening her mouth to say something...but no words could come in response. It was one of those beautiful moments that came when she saw the sincerity in his eyes, as clear and loud as the words he spoke. Her lip quivered, as did her fingers as they brushed up against his face. He needed to hear nothing from her...he saw the emotion in his beloved's eyes, and saw no more need for words. He knew her feelings were the same.

His lips took over hers, and she was willed to calm yet again...her mind erased of doubts, fears, and reality. His hand held the back of her head, pulling her further and deeper with him as she took every caress of his lips, every breath, every loving hum against her skin. She gave back in full, breaking from him only to take in air. As his other hand wandered over her back, hers flexed on the muscles of his arm.

Neither Katara nor Aang could remember when they last took their time kissing, making their private moments linger. Her racing heart calmed under his touch, and would start again when she heard his melodic voice groaning with pleasure and affection. He pulled her closer, pressing her to him, and she responded with a calm sigh. Eventually, he broke apart but still lingered close to her, gauging the emotion in her eyes.

The sun had finally set by then, and all around them night had fallen. There were still lights: the stars and the moon, and whatever the lanterns scattered about the island gave off. But by the way he watched her, held and touched her, Katara knew that it wasn't just the night's shadows that made his eyes look just a little darker. And she knew that hers certainly didn't look any different.

He lowered his head and placed a kiss on her cheek, littering the touch of his lips across her face and down to her neck before she had even thought about stopping him. Her fingers scrunched the fabric of his top and felt along the muscles of his bare shoulder, and she giggled when he nipped at her ear in response.

"My Katara..." he murmured in a very familiar tone, silky as his touch on her bare arms under the robe she wore...the tone that always invited her into the deepest intimacies they could share. He moved just a little, and she felt herself sinking back into the sand. But a few blinks later, her mind lifted itself from the foggy haze that she knew they'd be lost in soon.

"Aang..." the Waterbender had started to say, but found herself speaking in the same beckoning tone. She cleared her throat and tried again, turning her head to deter any more kisses. "Aang, love, wait."

"Mm?" He halted and pulled away, watching her with concern. "What is it?"

She took a deep breath and sat up again, her look apologetic. "I just...I'm not sure how often we should be doing...you know, that, right now." His gaze caught the movement of her hand, resting protectively over her extended womb. "The baby."

Her husband glanced away, uncertain. With this being their first child, they hadn't yet known how safe it would be for them to engage in more rigorous activities. His hand lay next to hers on her stomach, thoughtfully, and he looked up to her with a kind smile.

"It's okay, Katara; I agree with you," he whispered and took her hand, entwining their fingers. "You know I'd be as careful as I could though, right? I never want to hurt our child."

She smiled. "I know you would, Aang. I guess I just worry a bit too much right now."

"It's fine," he said and pecked her on the lips. "Still...I feel like making up for the time we lost fighting. Even if it's not with making love. I want to make it up to you."

Katara couldn't help her blush at his sentiment. He was always doing so much for her, even stepping it up quite a bit now that she was with child, and sometimes going above and beyond his vows...and she too wanted to make up for that lost time, anything at all, for the man she loved and the mirthful Airbender that she admired.

"Well..." she finally breathed out. "I _have_ been a bit stressed out lately; it's been hard to do any Waterbending." Katara looked up at him hopefully. "Help me up and over to the pool?"

"Of course," he grinned and stood up, pulling her with him, and they turned to the little freshwater lake that sat just a small distance into the cove, away from the beach.

The night seemed to be just a little darker around that secluded area of water and trees overlooking it. But the lake still caught the illumination of stars in its shifting swells, and the lapping sounds it made against the bank was softer compared to the rougher crashes of the ocean, still heard on the beach somewhere behind the two benders.

Only a little less than five months into pregnancy, Katara didn't need help to walk really, not yet...but Aang still held her hand as they stopped at the shallows. It only took a glance from his wife to convince him to let her go, stepping into the cool black and silver-blue water with her bare feet. He sat upon a nearby rock and resigned himself to watching her Waterbend, a smile on his face nevertheless.

The Water Tribe woman sighed with the relief of the cool water on her legs the deeper she waded in, until the robe she wore was touching the surface. Aware of his eyes on her from the bank, and still feeling the tickling, teasing heat of her blood from the earlier events, she grinned to herself and began to remove the loose garment from her body. The sunrise-colored fabric slid easily from her shoulders to be lightly tossed to the side, and leaving her in her white bindings.

Aang blushed, his eyes frozen to her form. He always thought that she looked ravishing when she took to the water, her long hair flowing with her movements and her dark skin contrasting starkly with her pale bathing clothes. And somehow, the sight of that naked rounded abdomen only added to the beauty of the creature he watched carefully bending columns of water...with the circlet of flowers to complete it, she looked akin to a spirit of life, carrying their child and moving with the utmost care...and it warmed him to the core.

It was like a slow dance, moving through the basic Waterbending stances and slowly moving up to the complicated ones. The clear, shimmering water moved in circles around her head and body, snaking and morphing and streaming, and it only got easier the more she relaxed and breathed. Watching her, Aang felt like he was growing hypnotized. He felt the need to join her, although he chose to wait for her invitation.

Katara meanwhile didn't know whether it was the pulling energy from the moon, or the quiet and still darkness, or the force of her Waterbending coursing through her muscles after a long period out of practice...perhaps a combination of the three was what made her breathe a little faster, and feel a little warmer. She couldn't help but keep glancing at Aang, and wishing to feel his protective embrace from before, and his sensual touch...

Her last pass with the circle of water from the lake grew slower and then stopped. The Airbender watched the way she stood with concern, wondering if she was growing tired. She lifted her arms and simply let the water rain over her head, wetting her hair and dripping over her skin. The cool showering quelled the heat, but only marginally. Heat...and yet she rubbed her upper arms as if cold, muscles twitching. She didn't want to be in the water alone, in a place that now felt so full of an unnamed, claiming energy.

_It feels unnatural, even now, to fight against what I want..._

Aang stood up, having decided to see what the matter was after observing her standing frozen for more than a few moments. But he barely took another step before Katara turned her head and fixed her eyes on him.

He blinked, and gulped without knowing it. The way she was looking at him...a gleam behind those deep sapphire irises showing up with a suggestive curl of her lip...it was calling to him, making him want to inch closer. Always, since the first day she'd ever given him such a look...the first _night_...it never failed to beckon to his heart before his mind could stop it.

"Aang?" she called with a genuinely soft, sweet voice. Her eyes dropped almost bashfully to the water. "Could you come in?"

Her husband was hesitant but for a moment, his head tilted as he shortly smiled back. She watched him pull off his torso wrap and shoes, then stepped through the sapphire waves toward her.

Aang's hand reached for her face, and his curled fingers caressed her flushed skin. "Is everything alright?" he asked, his voice low and soft.

Katara didn't answer for a moment; her eyes closed to his touch, her own hands laying themselves against his chest. Her left could feel his heartbeat...her right drifted over his creamy bare skin, up and down again. Her breathing stilled, while his own started to hitch. The Waterbender wanted to allow herself to become immersed in his very presence...his voice, his touch on her body...she wanted all of it. The water lapped at them in a broken, soothing rhythm and only added to the atmosphere.

"Yes," she finally whispered an answer, leaning in closer and resting her body to his, a kiss pressed to his shoulder. "It just...feels more comforting with you here to hold me."

The smile that Aang gave her was a teasing one, but he wrapped his arms warmly about her nonetheless. "I guess you couldn't stay away from me for long, huh?"

She breathed out a laugh, her lips drifting to his neck. "You're one to talk. _You_ came looking for _me _first tonight."

"Mmmm..." he sighed with bliss as her hands continued to drift over his body, occasionally using Waterbending to place flowing droplets over all of the sensitive areas and making her touch all the more sensual. His fingers combed reverently through her damp hair and his other palm drifted in circles over the bare skin of her back, waist, and the short dome of her womb. "I'm glad I did, too," he admitted with a kiss pressed to her cheek, his breath feathery on her ear. "There's one thing I never try to forget, after a talk like we had...even in death, I will be close."

A few sentimental tears freed themselves from Katara's closed eyes as she was wrapped up closer, tighter, against his body. His kisses continued to drift, as did his hands, causing her to shiver. Her thundering heart couldn't be stilled...she briefly wondered if the Avatar too could feel the way her blood coursed and warmed areas of her body that were for his knowledge alone.

"So will I," she promised, her tone sincere and coupled with quivering need. As if of their own volition, her fingers drifted to his belt and left themselves there, pressing to the skin of his abdomen. She felt a breathy sigh on her neck as a result.

They were content to stand like that for the longest time, littering one another with tender kisses and sensitive, teasing touches. Her lips claimed his, and he hummed with a passionate fervor. He wanted to be so close...so warm...to show her his deep love, and hear her voice break in ecstasy.

The Airbender's fingers slid up her spine, and then underneath her top bindings. She swallowed a light gasp as she felt his touch over the skin of her shoulder blades. He broke their kisses and searched her gaze, pausing...but not moving. He recognized the soft, almost sleepy look of pleasure and wanting...but he remembered her earlier concerns.

His nose gingerly touched hers. "Do you...want to?" he murmured lowly.

She took in a long, deep breath...but it only served to make her feel the hammering pulse and the burning heat in her loins all the more. "...Yes," she finally whispered...almost a whimper. "But...carefully."

He nodded once and briefly rubbed a hand over her belly, nestled and pressed between them. "I promise, Katara."

Aang's smile again warmed her heart, as did the repeat of that promise in the tender kiss that followed. One thing that she was thankful for when it came to the man she had married...his foremost thought in their intimate trysts—whether tender or quick—was always of her, dominated by love. Lust was there, but only secondary, the mere messenger of primal instinct. He felt like he was giving himself all to her...and she was giving to him in return...and it was deemed a moment sacred and special.

The kisses resumed, slow and thorough, but heated. His hands drifted over her, lifting water to her body and rubbing along her arms and shoulders...at one point, he used the Healing Touch with his impromptu massage, and she gave him an amused grin. _Had I ever known that he would use his Waterbending knowledge for this..._still she couldn't deny, it was blissful and soothing...any stress left in her muscles drifted away with the water. She did the same for him, playfully tracing the arrows on his arms and over his spine. His old lightning scar tingled, as if reliving the memory of her life-saving healing.

Their clothes drifted away soon enough too. His hands had slowly drawn her bindings off to unravel down her limbs, and she shivered when the water touched her naked body. She felt his desire pressing to her, and with a tug, helped to free him from the confines of his pants. He gasped and purred on her collarbone, holding her still and tightly to him as his tongue took water from her skin wherever he could reach. She held back the desire to lean back and invite him downward, lest she'd fall...though his hold prevented that worry. The haze returned, promptly settling them into a world that held nothing but each other.

Aang's lips took hers again in a feverish kiss; deeper, always deeper, always closer. His palm smoothed over her backside and pulled against the back of one thigh, lifting her leg around him. But, even with her husband keeping her aloft, Katara could barely keep her balance in the water. She gasped upon feeling the pull of gravity, and broke their kiss as a result. But where her eyes held sheepishness, he still kept their shared gaze with a gentle smile.

"Don't move," he murmured. Planting his feet as best he could, he held her against him with one arm and thrust upward with the other. From the water, a flat, smooth wall of rock rose behind her. She gasped in surprise, feeling the tremor through both earth and water.

Before she could ask anything, his lips were upon hers again, and she felt herself being carefully, slowly pushed back against the stone. She kissed him with fervor, her body warm and pressed with his, his every wandering touch against her skin only serving to ignite her desire more and more.

He heard the Waterbender's breath shuddering along with her, and that was his wordless command. Ever so slowly, one of her legs wrapped about his waist and she was lowered onto him.

Feeling his stiff warmth inside of her, the heat of his body contrasting with the cool breeze and remaining droplets of water over them, he released a breathy moan on the side of her face and began a slow and steady grind.

Her voice, moans and whimpers thick with ecstasy, became his guide...as was the desperate gripping and flexing of her hands on his back in time with each stroke and thrust. He kept his word, his pace easy and gentle...her trust in him had no room to falter, and once again she was completely, blissfully lost in her soul mate's tenderness.

As it always happened, the waves of pleasure he felt from her every caress, every movement countering his own and breathless murmur of his name as the minutes passed, caused Aang to only want to give more to her.

He fought to keep his steady pace, and his lips lingered near her ear. "Katara," he started in naught but a whisper, "I wish...this would last forever. I love you, so very much..._so much..._"

Katara heard him, and yet, barely did. The overwhelming rush of ecstasy over every inch of her body, through her very core, mingled with pure love and came out as a stream of blissful tears from her closed eyes. He paused upon feeling the stark moisture and cupped her cheek, wiping it away. "You're alright?"

She let out a laugh that was more of a happy sigh, trembling under him. "Aang...How can I _not_ be alright, when I love you more than you'll ever know..."

"I know...I know," he lovingly murmured and silenced her with a deep kiss, continuing his slow movements over and within her. He barely noticed tears escaping his own eyes...all that they both knew was that they could never, _ever_ bear to be apart again; mind, body, soul.

In almost no time at all, the Airbender felt himself nearing his end. He concentrated hard on his control, but just after him, she too couldn't hold on any longer. Her other leg ensnared the back of his body, and she clutched what she could hold with her arms. "Aang...Oh, _please, Aang..._" she groaned.

His name on her desperate voice was the final push. Holding her as if it meant their lives, he arched his body against hers, his final thrust beckoning his release. She bit her lip against a loud cry as her world exploded into overwhelming heat, her pulse beating rapidly in her ear as everything rushed through in a barrage of tremors. Rise...and slow fall.

An immeasurable amount of time passed as she caught her breath after coming down from it, feeling Aang's body heaving against hers. His own heartbeat sounded in waves throughout her every sense of the world.

Only when she felt his fingers combing tenderly through her damp hair did Katara remember where she was...the waters of the lake soothed the heat from their skin and mingled with the scent of sweat. She was still in her husband's arms, held protectively. At one point he had turned them around so that his back relaxed against the smooth rock, and she was resting what she could of her weight on him.

The Waterbender looked back up to her husband's calm gaze and soft smile, when she could, and reached for his hand to hold it to her heart. "I can never find anything to say, after that, except that I love you."

"You don't even have to say anything," he assured, squeezing her fingers. His other hand went back to the sturdy bump on her abdomen.

Katara nestled against him. "It's okay?" she asked, feeling too lazy to check for herself.

Using his own Waterbending senses, Aang could somewhat "see" into his wife's womb as he moved his fingers around and pressed a palm flat to her skin. "The baby's fine. I guess we never had to worry." He smiled and kissed her temple. "Which is good. What we do out of love shouldn't hurt what _came_ from that love."

She chuckled. "When you put it that way...still, I'll always worry a little."

He had no will to argue, nor the strength to do anything but keep her safe with him in the soothing waters of the tiny lake. Of course she would worry...as would he. But it wouldn't dominate their lives as it had used to.

The circlet he had made was still resting on her head, though some of the petals had found their way into the strands of her hair. And for a while as they basked in the glow of one another, they had forgotten that anything was ever argued about. They were only remembering what was most important.

It was silly, after all, to dwell.


End file.
